novelden Chapter 13 Madam, I'm late.
Chapter 13 Madam, I'm late.
It took quite some time for the Zhou family to quiet down. It was around this time that the Chief Minister Zhou came to the flower hall. After comforting the two women, he arranged for them to leave the mansion on their own. Before leaving, he returned the jade pendant to Shen Li.
They only asked a couple of simple questions about what happened, since there was no other explanation other than an accident.
With so many stones piled together, it would take thousands of kilograms or even more force to move an artificial mountain. If it didn't collapse on its own, who else could have pushed it?
It was already afternoon when Shen Li and Wei Ruolan left the mansion together. Two carriages were parked in front of the Zhou mansion. Gu Chang'an, dressed in a scarlet official robe, stood in front of the Gu family's carriage.
Those leaving the mansion were unconsciously drawn to him. He was tall and slender with fair skin, and looked exceptionally handsome in red. His face seemed to steal the light from the world, making him hard to ignore.
However, people only glanced at him and then looked away, because his eyes seemed to be filled with ice and snow that never melted, and the bright red he wore only exuded extreme coldness.
People say that the red official robes are stained with the blood of the common people, so his red robes must have been stained with the blood of countless officials. It is not a rumor that people tremble at the mere mention of his name.
Although Wei Rulan was afraid, she couldn't help but glance at Gu Chang'an again and again. Although this Lord Gu had a bad reputation, just based on his good looks, it wouldn't be a bad choice to marry him.
"Madam, I'm late. Were you frightened?" Gu Chang'an rushed to greet Shen Li as she came out, draping a cloak over her shoulders. His eyes and heart were filled with heartache.
His daughter, Ah Li, is still young. She's never seen anything like that before, so she must have been terrified.
Seeing his nervous appearance, Wei Ruolan felt even more envious. The Shen family's younger sister was truly a blessed person.
"I'm fine, but I feel sorry for Miss Zhou. Let's talk in the car." Shen Li had to put on an act in front of someone's door, so her voice sounded weak.
"Slow down, let me help you." Gu Chang'an gently pulled on her clothes without touching her arm.
He still didn't want to take liberties with her, even though... she had been taking liberties with him these past two days.
After getting into the carriage, Gu Chang'an settled her on one side and sat on the other. Looking at her face, he asked softly, "A-Li, were you frightened?"
He noticed the blood on Shen Li's trouser leg, but it seemed that Shen Li's foot wasn't injured. Since Shen Li didn't say anything, he didn't ask any further questions.
This was difficult to explain, especially since it happened in a carriage. Shen Li didn't tell him the truth, only looking at him pitifully: "It's alright during the day, but I'm afraid it will be better at night..."
"I'll stay with you tonight," Gu Chang'an immediately replied.
Shen Li glanced at the distance between them and sniffed, "I'm a little cold."
“This…” Gu Chang’an looked at the cloak she was wearing, then at his own clothes, and realized he had nothing left to take off, so he became a little anxious.
Seeing the stark contrast between the panic in his eyes and his aloof demeanor just moments before, Shen Li couldn't help but smile. She remained still and simply watched him.
"How about... I hold you?" His voice was very weak.
Shen Li was stunned. She hadn't expected him to take the initiative. This was the first time in both of his lives that he had wanted to hug her. It seemed that her offensive over the past two days had been somewhat effective.
"I didn't mean to offend you. If you don't want to, I'll send someone down to buy you some clothes." Gu Chang'an thought she was unwilling when she didn't respond, and while feeling disappointed, he quickly comforted her.
He had barely finished speaking when he felt a warm sensation all over his body. It turned out that Shen Li had come over and hugged him.
This time, he was stunned because Shen Li wasn't cold; she was warm.
"What did you just call me?" Shen Li asked.
“Ah…Ah Li…”
"In front of the Zhou family's house."
“Madam,” he obediently repeated.
"Hmm." She agreed, then looked up at him, blinked, and asked, "You really don't want to offend me?"
Gu Chang'an's breath hitched, and he dared not look into her eyes, but he felt his whole body getting hot.
Shen Li noticed that Gu Chang'an's skin was indeed as white as jade, and his ears would turn pink when he was shy.
"I... Ah Li... I'm glad you're alright." Gu Chang'an changed the subject.
He had so many thoughts about her, but he was afraid that if he said them, she would be unhappy and feel that he was disrespecting her.
Shen Li smiled and whispered in his ear, "So Lord Gu is a coward."
“Ah Li…”
"Okay, I'm not teasing you anymore. I'm really a little cold, and you won't even hug me."
Gu Chang'an then realized that Shen Li had been holding him the whole time, and his arms had been outstretched behind her without touching her.
He bit his lower lip and hugged her.
Shen Li closed her eyes in his arms, calming herself down. She had witnessed much killing in her previous life, but she had never personally participated in any.
Zhou Rong was the first person to die at her hands in both lifetimes. It was impossible for her not to feel anything, but she wasn't afraid. Instead, she was getting used to the feeling.
In the future, she will not hold back against anyone.